For the First Time Again
by steshin
Summary: Prince Hans was a cold-hearted villain if there ever was one. Unforgettably horrible in every way! Now, if only he could actually remember all that. Hans/Anna.
1. Chapter 1

Title: – For the First Time Again  
Fandom: Frozen  
Pairing: Hans/Anna  
Summary: Prince Hans was a cold-hearted villain if there ever was one. Unforgettably horrible in every way! Now, if only he could actually remember all that.  
Notes: This was originally titled "Suddenly (I Bump Into You)" in Tumblr for lack of imagination. Hollywood amnesia ahead. Partly here for better fanfic inventory with little tweaks here and there.

* * *

She took a steadying breath outside the door, wondering if she really wanted to. After all, no one could blame her for not wanting to see _him_. It was only right. He had no one to blame but himself. If he hadn't played with her feelings, locked her in a cold room to die before prancing off to kill his sister, well, maybe he would not have gotten into this situation in the first place.

It was only retribution. He was a naval officer-an admiral; surely he could handle a punch or two or get thrown into the sea. Wasn't that rough sort part of any naval training?

 _Yes_ , she thought, _he'll be fine_. She knocked on the door, pushing it open a short while after.

"Ah, Princess Anna," the royal physician, a man wrinkled with experience straightened from his chair. He managed a weak bow, which was excusable for his age. "Pardon me, your royal highness. I was expecting to see the queen."

"She has things to take care of, so I'm here in her stead." Her smile vanished as she motioned to the unmoving subject swaddled in blankets. "And how is…?"

"Ah, Prince Hans. He still hasn't woken up from his fall." He touched his chin thoughtfully, "his scrapes are manageable and thankfully we got all the water out of his lungs. But what concerns me is the bump he took on his head. The swelling's died down somewhat…just hope it doesn't cause any long term problems."

Anna gulped, trying to _not_ feel the strong guilt lancing through her body. It had been a spur of the moment. A random act. He had done and _almost_ done worse, what was one petty punch? Unfortunately she had underestimated her own strength, completely knocking him overboard...with him crashing to the side of the boat along his descent to the water.

"I can't say for sure when he'll wake up." The doctor's voice regained her attention, "But when he does, he'll need to stay in bed for a time with some controlled doses of laudanum. You know, for the pain."

She wasn't glad to hear that. That meant he had to stay here longer than he should. She threw her glance over to the patient, sleeping obliviously. He looked peaceful, his skin a little flushed from being cocooned in blankets that moved slightly from his even breaths. Beads of sweat lined his brow, which gleamed in the bright morning room.

She snorted. He certainly looked cozy. She turned back to the doctor, ready to thank him when the old man's eyes widened to the direction of the bed.

"He's stirring!" He ambled over to the side of the bed quickly as his creaky legs could carry; Anna's eyes followed. True enough, Hans was indeed starting to wake, groaning as he did. His eyes struggled to open, his body trying to shrug off the warm covers.

"Prince Hans, glad you're awake," the kind doctor readjusted his pillow, "how are you feeling? Do you feel any pain?"

Hans only grunted, fixing his head to the new angle of the pillow.

Anna stayed rooted in her place, watching from a comfortable distance.

"Prince Hans?" The doctor prodded for an answer.

A lock of red hair fell over his forehead as Hans' eyes wandered over the room, taking in the surroundings.

They stopped at Anna.

Anna's shoulders jumped a little, but she immediately squared them as she glared at him with unabashed loathing.

However, the expression in his eyes held nothing more than confusion.

"Prince Hans?" The doctor tried again.

Hans did not remove his eyes from Anna.

And he still didn't when he finally spoke.

" _Hans_ …is that my name?"

* * *

Suffice to say, Elsa wasn't happy to receive the news, sharing the same sentiment as Anna over this unexpected turn of events.

The doctor shared his report, sitting comfortably in one of the cushioned armchairs of Elsa's study.

"I still stand by what I say," Anna piped, feet stamping the floor in a thoughtful pace, "he's obviously faking it. You know how good he is at deceiving people."

Her regnant sister frowned, considering her words as she leaned back against the front of her desk, her arms braced behind her.

"Your majesty, if I may." The doctor sounded exasperated, "As I've said multiple times today…I can confirm _once again_ that the young prince has indeed suffered a memory loss."

"So he just _conveniently_ forgets _everything?_ " Anna rolled her eyes, throwing her arms up in annoyance, "It's a bunch of baloney if you ask me!"

The doctor, calm and collected, did not feed into the obvious tension, patiently reminding, "Princess, he experienced quite a serious blow mid-fall. His head trauma was pretty severe. I'm surprised he didn't snap his neck or crack his skull."

Anna winced at the doctor's words. The thought of almost having killed Hans made her stomach queasy. _Curse her impulsive nature._

"Can this be treated, doctor?" Elsa asked, in a tone that made her hesitant to know the answer.

"This kind of thing…" The doctor sighed, lifting a bony hand to his forehead, "is _really_ tricky. There aren't a lot of medical journals written about this sort of thing. I've had soldiers come from war who could barely remember their former lives after a fall in battle. Some managed to recover their memories in a short span of days but for others, it took months, _years_ even. And there are those who never remember at all."

An ominous silence befell the room. Anna immediately set out to mollify it.

"Maybe if we tell him _everything_ that happened, it'll jog back his memory?" It seemed like the sensible solution.

Elsa looked at the doctor with hopeful eyes, "Would that work?"

The older man seemed doubtful.

"You can try. But thing is we can't just feed him facts and _expect_ him to just absorb them. As I've said, this is _very_ tricky. Only time or certain triggers can sort this thing out." The doctor folded his hands on his lap, adding with a hint of hope, "I only pray that this is just a side-effect from his injury. Maybe when he fully recovers physically, he'll—"

Anna immediately seized the notion.

"Yes, that's it!" She snapped her fingers, the possibility working well in her head. "His mind is just a little addled. But he'll be fine! You'll see, he'll turn back into a snake the moment his bruise is gone."

A wave of relief washed over her. Yes that was it. That had to be it!

"I mean," The young princess laughed, "I sometimes forget what happened after blacking out on chocolate. It's probably the same with Hans' case, am I right?"

Both other parties only regarded her silently.

* * *

Elsa dismissed the doctor who had several appointments to attend to. Anna on her way to the gardens, escorted him.

"Of all the luck." Anna grumbled, "Just when the gates have _finally_ opened and the winter is thawed, we get stuck with the least wanted person in all of Arendelle."

Her normally fast pace was slowed down for the older gentleman's sake, who smiled in amusement at her words, "You don't have to see him if you don't want to, Princess."

Anna frowned. It was true she didn't have to. But the idea of him living in the same area as her did not placate her mood one bit.

" _Ohh!_ I just want him shipped back to the Southern Isles. He's their problem. He shouldn't feel welcomed here any longer in Arendelle!"

"Princess Anna," the doctor had stopped in his tracks. Anna turned around in mild surprise. He shook his head, "I know this might be too much to ask, considering all that he's done but…please treat him properly."

Anna's brows furrowed, "Of course. He's getting the best medical care Arendelle has to offer—"

"That's not what I mean," He interrupted, "I'm talking about the way you people behave around him. You need to show compassion."

"Compassion?!" Anna almost choked on the word, "After what he _did_? Doctor! Why are you siding with him?"

The doctor sighed, "Princess, I am a doctor. I treat my patients regardless of who they are. Prince Westergard is no exception. And you have to understand…he has no memory prior to his accident. The last thing he needs is people treating him badly for reasons he can't even remember. Now, you can try and rehash everything that happened to him. But it would be like telling someone else's story. He might even reject it. His mind is in a very delicate situation."

Anna did not know what to say that. The doctor passed her, gently patting her shoulder, "You have a big heart, Princess. I know you can do it."

* * *

The windows were shaded as Hans laid in deep sleep. The light glowing behind the curtains created a soft yellow cast inside the room.

Anna shut the door quietly behind her and padded carefully to the foot of his bed. She observed his sleeping form. They had changed his clothes with a white tunic shirt and had lessened the blankets.

She looked down on his face and found it sickening how attractive he was even with his current state. His auburn hair was neatly combed, face relaxed with a hint of purplish pink decorating the bridge of his nose. It wasn't broken but the doctor did have to set it back in place. Once again, a touch of guilt struck her and she immediately tried to shrug it off.

 _He did way worse_ , she assured herself. Crossing her arms, she remembered the doctor's words and let out a sigh. _How do you show compassion to a cold-blooded would've-been killer?_

She was not allowed to dwell on those thoughts any longer as Hans once again stirred for the second time of the day. Anna was petrified, unsure of what she should do. Run perhaps? Knock him back to sleep? Wait, what?

Hans was struggling to sit up, the back of his head obviously causing him excruciating pain. His bleary dark-circled eyes shot up to Anna's with desperation, gasping out, "W-Water…"

The urgency in his voice caused Anna to instinctively rush to the bedside table, pouring him a glass from the pitcher. She offered it to him but his hands were too shaky. Silently complaining, Anna helped him, setting the glass to his parched lips. Her other hand carefully avoided the tender spot on his head as she reluctantly supported him. She watched the water go down his throat as he drank all of it greedily.

"Thank you…" He whispered, a trickle of water trailing from the corner of his mouth. Anna felt the urge to wipe it clean but immediately disciplined herself.

"Yeah, well…umm," she grumbled, "It's nothing…really."  
She gripped her skirts, keeping her hands occupied.

"…Are you a nurse?"

Anna blinked, "Huh?"

Hans clenched his eyes. "I saw you earlier with the doctor. So I assumed…" He trailed off.

"No," Anna tried to keep her tone civil, "I'm a princess."

"A princess," he breathed, looking at her in disbelief, "is that really true?"

Anna found herself seething. _Why was that so unbelievable?_

"Yes, I'm a princess. This is Arendelle. My sister is queen. You know, the person you tried to—" she paused.

Hans waited, "I tried to…?"

"No, nothing, it's nothing. Forget about it. Well, you did _forget_ about it. But—I'll just shut up now." She plopped herself down on the small seat beside the bed, "So, do you remember anything? _Anything_ at all?" She leaned forward.

He winced, "I'm trying to…but nothing comes back to me. All I remember is waking up and…" his green eyes locked with her blue ones, "…seeing you."

There was something disarmingly honest about the way he said it that took her by surprise. Plus, the way he looked at her...  
She immediately broke eye contact. "This is frustrating."

 _She was not going to fall for that again!_

Anna heard him chuckle, and her treacherous heart dared to skip a beat. "Tell me about it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of me being a prince. It sounds like one big joke to be honest."

"Trust me, it is no joke. You _played_ the part perfectly."

The emphasis wasn't lost on him. "Played?"

Anna mentally slapped herself. "I mean—just trust me, you are one."

He nodded, "Oh okay, very well."

Anna purposely kept her gaze down to her shoes until Hans spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

Anna had no choice, "What?"

Genuine curiosity etched his face, "How did I," he motioned his head around the room as a gesture, "you know…end up here?"

Anna rolled her eyes.

 _Where would she start?_


	2. Chapter 2

"You told him he slipped... _on ice?_ " Elsa's face was incredulous, her meal instantly forgotten.

" _Your ice._ " Anna said. She poked the fish on her plate with her fork. "Oh wow, this catch sure is flaky."

The queen sighed in exasperation. " _Anna..._ "

"What was I supposed to say?" Anna reasoned in a whine, " _I punched you in the face after you betrayed me and tried to kill my sister?_ "

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Well he believed my having ice powers, so why not?"

"Doctor's orders remember?"

"Well you still lied."

Anna threw her hands up in annoyance. She had been looking forward to dinner as repose from today's events. Gerda would even be serving her famous baked meringue for dessert. _So much for that._ "Well I was asked on the spot, so I went with something more harmless than douchebaggery and attempted regicide."

Elsa frowned, annoyed but could see the princess' point. "Okay fine," she conceded, "But _you_ did not have to go see him."

Anna did not like her sister's tone. "You asked me to! This morning!"

"That was when he was still unconscious! And even then, you still went to him a second time."

"He can't remember anything," reminded Anna (though personally she did not really believe that), her tone heightening slightly, "I was only checking up on him."

"Well from now on, _you_ keep your distance." Elsa commanded, "I can't trust _you_ with him."

"Wait, _what?_ You can't trust me? I didn't try to take over a kingdom!"

"Need I remind you..." Oh no. Anna could already predict Elsa's words in her head before they even got out. "...You wanted to marry him! After _one_ day."

Anna gritted her teeth. She knew it had been coming, but it did not fail to strike a nerve. The princess scraped back her chair, which almost toppled from her force as she stood. She glared at her sister.

"That was then, this is now! Why bring that up?"

" _Then?_ " The queen rose, slamming her hands palms-down on the table. The silverware clanged. " _Then_ was very recent! If he could seduce you _then_ , what makes you think he won't try it again? How can we be sure he truly forgot everything and that it's not another ploy?"

"Wow Elsa." Anna muttered, hands balling up at her sides, "thanks for having so much faith in me."

Without another word, the princess spun around and stormed out the dining hall. It was only when she reached her room did she notice the visible puffs of her own breath. Anna groaned. _Dinner had been a cold affair to say the least._

* * *

"You're fighting. Over a guy."

"Kristoff!" Anna slapped his arm, earning a scowl. "Don't say it like that!

"Okay, lemme try again." He passed the pail of carrots he had sneaked from the kitchen to Sven. The reindeer eagerly grabbed the handle with his mouth. The carrots would be gone in seconds flat. "You're fighting over your villainous ex-fiance possibly feigning to be an innocent lamb. That right?"

The princess flopped down on a bale of hay with a huff. "Something like that."

Kristoff sighed and leaned against a stable post, eyeing her with a thin smile. "Wanna talk about it?"

Anna grabbed a fistful of hay and tossed it at her feet. "I mean...look, _I get it_." she grumbled, "Elsa is only looking out for me."

He nodded.

"But I hate how she paints me to be so...so..."

"...Reckless, irresponsible, impulsive and- _HAY!_ " He glared at her, brushing off the thrown wads of hay from his tunic.

Anna met his eyes with a haughty smile as she dusted her hands clean, "You deserved that. You're supposed to hear me out and offer suggestions."

Sven, ever the glutton, started sniffing Kristoff's shirt, curious if the princess had thrown some kind of straw-y snack at him. Kristoff playfully pushed him away. "I'll listen but as far as suggestions go..." He whistled a sigh. "I know you'll hate me for saying this but Elsa's right."

"Ugh!" Anna wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Trust you to take her side. You're a biased opinion anyway."

"What? Just because she makes ice and ice is my life? I'm not that easy."

Anna would have believed him if she had not witnessed him engaging her sister in a heated conversation about the perfect temperature to store ice.

"Wait," Kristoff continued, realization dawning in his brown eyes, "are you implying you _don't_ agree with Elsa about not seeing him again? That you _will_ see him again?"

Anna crossed her arms and raised her chin. "Look! Hans is crafty. He's a manipulative bastard. No one knows that better than me. He can't be left alone with just anyone, he'll take advantage of that especially with his," she air-quoted, "condition."

Kristoff folded his arms as well, "So you're saying you want to keep an eye on him?"

"Exactly."

"Anna. You're a princess! In a castle. With guards. Let them do their jobs please?"

Anna dug her heel into the dirt. "What part of manipulative bastard do you not get? He convinced esteemed dignitaries that I was dead! He fooled an entire kingdom! His memory loss could be another crazy scheme. He deceived everyone!" _He fooled me_.

Kristoff, at first, was at a loss for words, but her stubbornness eventually got to him. "Fine, I get it. Someone needs to watch him. But it can't be you, no, wait," He held his hands up, stopping her protests early, "let me finish. I can't believe I'm saying this..." his words were heavy with regret, "but why not let me handle it?"

Anna's eyes widened.

"Really? You would do that?"

He sighed. "Well...if it puts your mind at ease, as well as fix your quarrel with Elsa, I don't see why I can't babysit a narcissistic egomaniac. It would be a dream come true..." He trailed off sarcastically.

Anna bounced to her feet in both joy and relief. "Thank you, Kristoff. That means a lot. I owe you another sled."

She was truly lucky to have a friend like Kristoff. Neither of them ever really brought it up but...had things been different, maybe, just _maybe_ , this blond mountain man would have proven to be her true love? If she had reached him in time for that kiss across the frozen fjord...

 _Maybe he still was?_ Hard to test that theory unless she asked Elsa to freeze her heart again. She frowned. _On second thought, no rush. Friendship first_. After all, the last time she almost received a kiss; she got an evil monologue instead. Anna shook that thought away. She and Kristoff would be fine. Both of them were content with their present situation anyway (wretched prince excluded).

The ice master grinned, "I want that in paper then." Sven happily grunted in approval as well, nearly knocking his human's head with his antlers.

"Oh and since Sven isn't allowed inside the palace. Maybe you could take Olaf with you tomorrow."

Kristoff shared a look with Sven. "A talking snowman in place of a reindeer and a man who can't remember anything. All in the same room, yeah, makes perfect sense."

" _Don't forget a smelly man too,_ " added Sven, who was really just voiced by the blond man.

"Just be careful." Anna cautioned, "If he's really faking it, you'll have to be on guard. At all times. Don't let anything he say get to you."

Kristoff made an indignant noise in his throat. He actually looked offended.

"Anna. I appreciate your concern. But you forget, I'm Kristoff reindeer-are-better-than people Bjorgman. I will not let my guard down."

* * *

 _"What do you call a reindeer wearing earmuffs?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"Anything you want, he can't hear you!"_

The inside of the room erupted in laughter.

Anna did a double-take around the hallway. She eyed the door in front of her again, blinked a number of times before accepting the reality that, _yes_ , she was in fact in the right place. But something was definitely wrong.

Another bad reindeer joke. Then, more laughter.

 _Are you kidding me?_

Forgoing her plans at attempted espionage, the princess burst through the door and could not believe her eyes.

Kristoff, Hans and Olaf...were having a card game.

Kristoff, whom she used to have a very high opinion of until now, shifted uncomfortably in his chair next to Hans' bed. He slowly lowered his cards to the pile atop the bedcovers. Hans, who sat cross-legged against the headboard, regarded Anna with mild confusion.

Olaf, the only innocent party plopped near the foot of the bed, waved his limbs in excitement, cards flying. "ANNA! Kristoff just told this funny joke. What do you call a reindeer with three eyes?"

 _"Dead."_

Olaf frowned. "No that's not right...it's a reiiindeer! With three 'i's. Letters, not eyes. I didn't get it at first either and called it a freak, because what's more freaky than a reindeer with three eyes." The sentient talking snowman chuckled in his own amusement, before turning back to his card-playing companions, "whose turn is it?"

* * *

Kristoff, taller than most average men, felt particularly small in front of Anna, who had pulled him out to the far end of the hallway to discuss certain matters. He could not even look her in the eye, which worked just as well for Anna because she did not enjoy looking at traitors.

" _What was that?_ " Anna hissed.

Kristoff flinched at her question. "Well, I...you see. It wasn't what it looked like?"

"A fun card game and friendly banter? That's what it didn't look like? You better have a perfectly good excuse!"

Kristoff sighed in defeat as he squeezed his eyes shut, most likely to come up with something justifiable in his head. Anna waited for his explanation, the tapping of her foot resonating under the wooden floor.

"It's like this..." he finally started. "I went in there ready to take on that jerk...but..."

"But what?!"

"The thing is... _that guy_ back there," he directed a thumb to the other end of the hall, "is nice, like _really_ , really super nice."

Anna almost choked in disbelief.

"Nice...that's your excuse. _He's nice?!_ "

"He's like totally a different person from what I expected. I actually felt guilty trying to play the bad guard. He's really friendly, he even laughed at my jokes."

"That should have been your clue!" Anna yelled, "Why would anyone laugh at those lame jokes if not to pretend!"

Kristoff stepped a few inches back, "Whoa whoa feisty-pants. Don't get upset, let's get back on the same page."

" _Ooh!_ " Anna huffed, face turning red. "I warned you! He's sly! He's only acting this way to avoid his punishments in the Southern Isles!"

"Well if he's acting..." Kristoff dared to even sound skeptical. "He deserves every acting guild award in all the land. Anna, I hate to say it but maybe...and I'm only saying this because I got to spend the whole day with him, maybe the doctor is _right_? I mean you can never rule out the possibility."

Anna narrowed her eyes, "You don't know him the way I do." Her memory echoed back to his betrayal. "That's why it's impossible for you to see through him. You're off the case, Kristoff."

"W-what?"

She marched past him, eyes forward.

"I'm in charge now."


End file.
